Folding warning flag stands



March 5, 1963 M. J. CAPRIOL] FOLDING WARNING FLAG STANDS Filed Nov. 2, 1959 INVENTOR.

Awe/M54 J CiPE/OL/ BY {K150 alt United States Patent 3,080,139 FBI-{DING WARNING FLAG STANDS Michael J. Caprioli, 2014 W. (Sitrus Way, Phoenix 15, Filed Nov. 2, 1959, Ser. No. 850,354 1 Claim. (Cl. 248-46) This invention concerns a folding warning flag stand for use on streets and highways.

Since the stand is to be used Where it is exposed to heavytraffic it is subject to being hit by vehicles and casualties of this nature are common with such signs, and, therefore, the holder is made of durable material that if bent may be rebent to its correct shape and it is made with pivoted parts and no telescoping parts so that repair can be made without special tools and with the minimum of effort.

In view of the foregoing one of the objects of the sign holder is to provide a collapsible sign holder having main vertical support and having joints between the several pivoted extending parts.

Another object is to provide a warning flag stand having main vertical supporting member attached by a hinging part to an upwardly extending shaft and attached by pivoted joints to several leg members at the bottom.

Still another object is to provide a Warning flag stand for use on streets and highways which is made of heavy material and has no sliding joints that may be rendered inoperative in case the parts are bent; the extension and retraction of members attached to the main body being made by hinged joints providing pivotal motion.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

I attain the foregoing objects by means of the parts, devices and combinations of parts shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of the complete folding warning flag stand with the flags and signs indicated in dotted outline and with motion of one of the legs indicated in dotted outline;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the upper part of the holder shown in FIGURE 1 and with the hinging motion of the upper flag holder shown in dotted outline when in retracted position;

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view of the device shown in FIGURE 1 as it appears in folded condition; and

FIGURE 5 is a cross sectional view taken on line 55 of FIGURE 1, and drawn on an enlarged scale.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts in the several views.

This main stem or vertical support of the device is marked 2 and shown particularly in FIGURE 1. At the top of this device there is a flag holder shaft 3 which is pivoted at its lower end on pivot bolt 4 which extends through the upper end of the main stem 2. When hinged to the upwardly extending position, as shown in FIGURE 1, it is locked in place by a collar 6 which fits over the top end of main stem 2.

The flag holder 3 is provided with sockets 7 extending outward at angles from its lower end portion and a three prong top flag holder 8 having angularly and outwardly extending sockets 9 at its lower end and a vertical socket '10 at its upper end. The parts of this flag holder are made of steel tubing. The main stem is made of angle steel.

At the bottom of the main stem there is a leg supporting bracket generally indicated by numeral 12. This has three triangularly arranged leg holders 14. These leg holders are made of trough-like downwardly opening pieces of sheet metal, having U-shaped sections as shown "Ice particularly and in detail in "FIGURE 5 and marked 15, 15a, and 151). These holders are Welded directly to the material at the bottom portion of the main stem 2. "Each of the holders is set at an angle relative to the horizontal so as to form an 'arcuate abutment for the leg which it holds. Legs are marked 16, 16a, and 16b. The top end of each leg is held by a 'thr-u ibolt which extends'throug'h the top portion of the trough-like leg holders and through the top end of the legwhich'it holds. When the legs are extended they pivot on each of these thru bolts and are then stopped by contact with the inner surface of the fold or curved upper portion of the stop, as shown in FIGURES l and 2. When the legs are folded they each pivot on their respective pivot bolts and assume the position shown in FIGURE 4 where they are substantially parallel to the main stem 2. The foldable movement of the top flag support member is shown folded and in lowered position in FIGURE 4. Its movement from the extended upper position to the fold position is illustrated in FIGURE 3, where its folded position is indicated by dotted outline.

Flags 40 having staffs are inserted in the flag holder sockets 7, 9 and 10 when the legs are extended and the flag holder 3 is raised. Since vertical stem 2 is made from angle steel a fiat surface 43 is provided to form a backing for any additional sign needed. This surface 43 is held in place by bolts or screws extending through holes 44.

The central area of leg bracket 12 includes a vertical opening 45. When necessary, a steel stake 42 may be driven downward through this opening and into the earth, or the like, to afford additional support and to resist tipping of the whole stand.

When in use the stand is set up as shown in FIGURE 1 and the flags added as above explained.

Since the stands are used for warning general motor traffic they must be big enough and high enough to be easily observed. Therefore, when fully extended the stand is about seven feet high and when folded, as shown in FIGURE 4, it is about three feet in length. When folded the stands may be easily packed in the tool compartment of a pickup service truck. When extended the stand holds flags 40 at a level calculated to be easily seen.

Previously some stands have been made which included telescoping parts. These have proved to be excessively expensive and not practical for the type of use here concerned. The stands are subject to many traffic hazards, as well as to rough usage in connection with the work. Wherever telescoping parts are used, either for the legs 16 or for the upper part 3, any slight bending or dent will make a telescoping part inoperative. This device has been made and used in the field to which it is best adapted and is sufficiently rugged to stand all usage required. In case it is damaged it will be noted that all parts can be easily bent back to proper shape and this can be done without special tools.

I claim:

A warning flag stand, consisting of an elongated vertical main stem of angle steel having at least one fiat face adapted to hold a sign plate, a tubular flag holder pivotally attached to the upper end of said main stem and adapted to pivotally swing from an erect fully extended position to a lowered folded position substantially parallel with the main stem, a plurality of outwardly and upwardly extending flagstaff sockets disposed on said flag holder, a collar fitting over the upper end of said stem and said flag holder above the said pivotal attachment of said flag holder adapted to releasably retain said flag holder in erect position, a leg holding bracket attached to the lower end of said main stem consisting 3 of three equally spaced triangularly disposed leg holders, each having a downwardly opening trough-like body with a U-shaped section, attached at its upper end to the lower portion of said main stem and extending angularly downward from its place of attachment, and legs pivotally attached to the upper ends of said leg holders and adapted to extend downwardly and outwardly from said leg holders, with the upper portion of each leg resting in the trough-like portion of the leg holder when in supporting position, and adapted to pivot downwardly from said supporting position and thence upwardly to a position substantially parallel to said main stem to assume a folded position.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Marum Sept. 12, 1893 Widrner June 12, 1903 Lufkin June 21, 1932 Goldberg Nov. 13, 1936 Alger Dec. 11, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS Switzerland Apr. 2, 1923 

